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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371722">Sweet to tongue and sound to eye</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/pseuds/sarahcakes613'>sarahcakes613</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Councilman Rafael Barba, Farmer Sonny Carisi, Farmer's Market, First Meetings, M/M, Politics, Surprise Ending, support community gardens y'all</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:22:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/pseuds/sarahcakes613</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sonny's not impressed with Rafael Barba, but meeting him in person doesn't go the way he expects a meeting with a smarmy politician to go.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Barisi Professions Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sweet to tongue and sound to eye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Today's a big political day for a lot of people. I hope this gives you a brief reprieve from reality.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The market doesn’t open for another hour, but Sonny still finds himself having to carefully maneuver his truck through a mass of vehicles to get to his reserved spot right behind his stall.</p>
<p>He begins unpacking his stock, one eye warily observing the vans bearing logos from some of the local television and radio stations.</p>
<p>“What’s with the crowds?” He asks his friend Amanda, who sells award-winning honey at the stall next to his. He hands her a jar of his newest pickled concoction, spicy pickled carrots, and accepts a jar of her creamed lavender honey in exchange.</p>
<p>“Didn’t you get the memo?” She asks, and he shakes his head. “Councilman Barba is doing an election stop here. He’s cutting the ribbon on the new VFW canteen across the street and he’ll probably wander around the market, be photographed shopping local. It’s too bad Dec has the girls today, he could have worked in a baby-kissing op too. Billie’s just discovered cameras and she loves them.”</p>
<p>Sonny huffs a laugh as he arranges prepacked cardboard baskets of fresh-picked vegetables interspersed with jars of pickled varieties of each.</p>
<p>“I’ve been working this market for six years, never once seen him here. He looks like he buys all his groceries from Whole Foods.” He says it in a scandalised tone, like he can’t imagine much worse than buying your bananas from <em>Jeff Bezos</em>.</p>
<p>Amanda snorts. “That’s campaigning,” she shrugs. “Kiss babies, shake veterans’ hands, look like you’re interested in the things your constituents grow.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well.” Sonny sucks his teeth. “I remember when he first ran for city council, he had all these big ideas about fixing up some of the abandoned lots, turning them into community gardens. It’s been three years of nothing, and now he thinks he can just show up and act like he’s invested in farmers and what we do? To hell with that.”</p>
<p>As he rants, Amanda’s eyes widen and her mouth opens and shuts, her lips thinning as she presses them together. She’s looking over his shoulder and he suddenly feels a sickening sensation like he’s just stepped in a mud puddle with no shoes on.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry you feel like that,” a voice behind him says, and Sonny winces. He turns slowly to find the man himself standing in front of his table, fingering one of Sonny’s business cards. The councilman smiles, a politician’s smile that doesn’t reach his eyes and shows too many teeth.</p>
<p>“Councilman Barba,” Sonny tilts his head. “I’d apologize for my comments, but that would imply I didn’t mean them.”</p>
<p>Amanda inhales sharply and he throws her a look.</p>
<p>“No, please, I want to hear from everybody I represent.” Barba spreads his hands. “You have valid complaints, and if you’re willing to give me a second chance, I will do everything in my power to see that you have no more reasons to complain.”</p>
<p>Sonny folds his arms. “Why should I believe you?”</p>
<p>Barba looks down at the business card he’s picked up. “Mr. Carisi,” he says, looking back up. His eyes are the green of spring asparagus, and they focus intently on Sonny’s. “I know you expect to hear the pat politico answers from me about staying the course and how these things take time. The truth is, those are excuses and you have no reason to believe me.”</p>
<p>Reporters are beginning to approach, mics and cameras out and focused on this mini showdown. Sonny shifts uncomfortably, he’s more than happy to argue with an elected official on his own time, but the last thing he needs is to have his parents turn on the evening news and see their farm being associated with any kind of political drama. Rafael notices his unease, and he puts his hand out to the small crowd.</p>
<p>“This isn’t my speech,” he says to them. “This is a conversation with a private citizen. I’d be happy to discuss the issue with you all later.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Sonny says begrudgingly. Barba smiles at him, and it looks like a real smile this time, a small thing that deepens his laugh lines.</p>
<p>“I do need to go press the flesh,” Barba says. “But I want to continue this conversation. I didn’t choose to come to the market today just for the photo op. Those lots do still sit empty and abandoned by the landowners, and I’m looking to put together a committee to best decide how to move forward in reclaiming them for the community. A farmer with experience in gardening the local earth seems like a good fit, wouldn’t you say?”</p>
<p>Sonny’s mouth opens but he has no response. Barba waits patiently while he works his jaw and then finally says, “can I get back to you on that?”</p>
<p>Barba shoots him a surprised look. Sonny imagines he’s used to having offers like that accepted immediately, but Sonny follows nature’s calendar and he really does have to think about if he wants to do something that will take him away from the farm for hours at a time.</p>
<p>“Certainly,” Barba says. He slides Sonny’s card into his pocket and pulls out one of his own, writing something down on the blank side. “Here, my private number is on the back. My secretary’s too good at her job sometimes, and I want to make sure I answer your call as soon as it comes in.”</p>
<p>Sonny takes the card and then also takes Barba’s proffered hand, shaking it. Barba’s hand is warm and dry, and Sonny has the inane thought of recommending some of Amanda’s beeswax hand salve, but the thought is gone as Barba steps away from the table with a jaunty wave.</p>
<p>He watches the councilman jog over to the huddle of reporters, giving them their soundbite for the morning.</p>
<p>“What was that?” Amanda pokes his bicep.</p>
<p>“Ow! What was what?” He scowls at her, rubbing his arm.</p>
<p>“That! There was a moment! You shared a moment!”</p>
<p>“There was no moment.” He rolls his eyes. “I’m probably not even going to join his stupid committee.”</p><hr/>
<p>“There was absolutely a moment,” Rafael Barba smugly tells the group of people gathered on an otherwise mostly empty street corner. “He just didn’t know it yet.”</p>
<p>Sonny can feel his mouth lifting and he tries to school his expression, lifting his hand to scratch at his beard to hide his smile.</p>
<p>It’s been nearly a year since Sonny badmouthed the councilman, and Sonny’s life had turned on its head. He’d accepted the position on the committee, ultimately swayed by his sister’s encouragement and gentle reminder that he wasn’t the only Carisi who could wield a pickling crock.</p>
<p>Long meetings had turned into long lunches, which had turned into long dinners, and when the election was over and Rafael still held his seat on city council, he’d celebrated by tugging Sonny down into a swoon of a kiss in front of the entire campaign staff.</p>
<p>And now their hard work has paid off. The city has managed to buy back two side-by-side quarter-acres of land and today the excavators are breaking ground on what will eventually be a community garden with 70 individual lots.</p>
<p>“There’s something else he doesn’t know,” Rafael confides to the audience. He turns and waves at Sonny, gesturing for him to come over to where Rafael is standing.</p>
<p>“Wait, what?” Sonny says as Fin, the foreman of the construction team, pushes him forward. He moves to stand next to Rafael, who takes one of his hands in his own.</p>
<p>“Sonny, working with you on this project has been one of the proudest moments of my career as a city councilman, and our relationship has been the delicious pickled cherry on top.”</p>
<p>Sonny gasps as Rafael gets down on one knee, and the small crowd collectively inhales and holds a breath.</p>
<p>“Will you marry me?” Rafael holds out a small velvet ring box, opened to show a beautiful titanium band with a circle of amethyst around the centre.</p>
<p>Sonny’s hands flutter as he tries to wave away the tears that are threatening to spill over as he finds himself unable to form words. This is always the way with Rafael, his knack for surprising Sonny has not dissipated since their first meeting.</p>
<p>“Are you going to tell me you need to get back to me on it?” Rafael jokes nervously, still kneeling, and Sonny shakes his head vigorously as he pulls Rafael up.</p>
<p>“Yes, absolutely yes, no thinking required.” He says forcefully, and there are cheers as together they fumble the ring onto Sonny’s left hand.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title is from the poem Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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